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My mother's dog won't eat food!

I'm posting this here even though the dog isn't a cavalier. After blaming my mother for her dog's eating habits, I'm finally here visiting. Her dog is an insane monster (she's actually a very sweet dog, but such trouble).

My mother's dog wants to eat: buttons, makeup, jewelry, anything made of plastic, razors, wood, lizards and things she can catch and kill herself (at one point she got some baby rabbits, those were her favorite) and that's it. She hates food, even human food, and turns her nose up at everything.

This is a one-year old Siberian husky, she can get up onto counters and shelves easily. We're keeping doors closed to many rooms of the house, but it is an open floor plan so about half the house it still accessible.

Her body condition is actually pretty ideal right now, aside from the stealing, and the obvious risk that eating non-food items brings, she's in great health.

LOL I have to smile some since obviously this is a happy pup but what a mess. How does your mother handle her? Does she see a problem or is she happy with dealing with a devil pup? I personally would not want to live with a wild dog stealing and eating razors or whatever they found around. I would have been in classes to train my dog before things got to this point. This behavior is dangerous to the dog I would be worried sick thinking of my dog eating makeup or buttons. However if your mother does want train or is unable to do so then you have a real problem. Re-homing a dog with behavior issues is not going to be easy heck even training at this point is going to be hard because the dog has become in the habit of her ill manners. I really do not understand the not eating thing. I mean she is in good health now right? That could not have happened with her not eating food. Is she living on lizards and jewelry? I know dogs can be labeled as "picky" but I think in a large amount of these dogs are simply attempting to train their owners. (no offence meant) I personally have never had a dog starve themselves or even appear to try and starve themselves with some type of food available. Mr. Monster puts on a good show every now and then himself. Especially when he wants to have ice cream for of dinner, even tho he can have ice cream only after dinner!

Maybe you could find a good trainer and pay for some private training as a Christmas gift to your mother.

Melissa
"If you don't own a dog, at least one, there is not necessarily anything wrong with you, but there may be something wrong with your life."
-Roger Caras

I can't afford it, but my mother can afford whatever she wants for the dog. Maybe I should arrange for a trainer to come to the house, and stick my mother with the bill.

There are 2 dogs in the house one 11 year old pit bull, who loves food and eats all the leftovers (very happy, absolutely adores the puppy). Then my mom's dog who is such a mess.

The dog already has complete control, that's how my mother raises her dogs. This food thing is new just the last 2 months or so, but there's really no reason for it.

It's like she just has no taste for food. She just sets anything you give her down for the old dog to eat, then when she wants something steals make up or something off of a bathroom counter. She ate piece of a gold hoop earring the other day, and got into some blush one afternoon. It doesn't seem like she is doing it for the thrill of stealing, if you leave food in those places she still prefers the plastics.

The dog won't get re-homed, my mother loves her dog however badly behaved it is, and not everyone would be willing to pay for all those x-rays.

I've never known of a dog that truly didn't like food, but this dog seems to have pica.

How much exercise does your mother's dog get? Most pet huskies are seriously under-exercised, so she may simply not be hungry because she hasn't worked up an appetite. She may also be bored, which is why she makes her own fun by stealing. If your mother can't take her for long walks herself, perhaps she could pay someone to give her at least one good walk every day, which would also give her mental stimulation. And what about getting her some of those dog toys that involve working out how to do things - they might alleviate the boredom. People forget that pet huskies still belong to a breed that was developed to work hard and manage on relatively little food - lack of exercise doesn't seem to affect their waistline (wouldn't it be nice if this was true of Cavaliers!), but they do seem to be happier if they get well-walked.

I agree Kate. No my mother isn't able to walk the dog enough, but she has been paying a local teen who runs track to take the dog for runs 3 times a week. So that aspect has been addressed, with no real improvement in her appetite (the running has been going on for 2 weeks now).

it's a good idea about the dog toys. I know there are some designs you can make yourself so we might try a few to see how she adapts. We're in Tampa, so we'll also do her first ever trip to the dog beach this week, which should be very popular.

Forgot to add, I've switched her over to a Bones and Raw diet which she seems to enjoy more each day. I usually don't recommend it because I think bone shards can be too dangerous, but they are less dangerous than razors and whatever else she can find.

It sounds as if your mother has got a throwback to the original sled dogs who could run 30 miles a day on frozen snow, surviving on whatever bits of raw seal or whale or whatever were thrown to them! Modern-day life in the suburbs of Tampa must be pretty tame by comparison